Continuous car-dumping mechanism.



F. C. GREENE & C. G. PALMER.

CONTINUOUS UAR DUMPING MBGHANISM.

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CONTINUOUS GAR DUMPING MEGHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 8,1907.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. O. GREENE L C. G. PALMER.

CONTINUOUS GAR DUMPING MEOHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 6, 1907` 976,169, Patented Nov.22, 1910.

3 BHBETB-BHEET 3.

/UTOR/V Y Uiiinri; OFFICE.

FRANK C. GREENE, OF CLEVELAND, AND CHARLES G. PALMER, 0F EAST CLEVE- LAND, OHIO; SAID PALMER [iE-'SIGNOR TO SAID GREENE.

CONTINUOUS CA R-DUMPING MEGHANISIVI.

Original application filed January 19, 1906, Serial No, 296,764.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910. Divided and this application fried September 6, 1907. Serial No. 391,565.

To att whom it may concern.'

lic it known that we, Fimnif C. Guerini; and Cir/unies G. kunnen, both citizens of the United Statesa residents of Clevelai'ld and East llevcland,respectively, county of Guy ahoga, and State oi Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Continuous Gar-I)uml'iing,l lVlecha-nisn'i, of which the followingV is a s]')eciiication, the principle of the invention beinel herein explained and the best mode in which we have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish itl from other inventions.

Our present invention relates to mechanism for handlingv cars and particularly to mechanism for handlingv mine cars in the tipplesI of coal mines. The l'nfiuciple of operation therein exemplified may be advantageously employed in divers coiniections where the object sought is the quick and automatic dumpingl or emptying of material from cars.

To the accomplishment of this object our invention consists of means hereinafter fully described and particularly set forth in the claims. Such claims, however, it should be here remarked will be found drawn to but one specilic form of our invention, the invention beingl more broadly and generically claimed in another co-pending application, Serial No. 296,764, filed January 19,1906, out of which the present application has been divided.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail the specific form or embodiment of the invention here involved, said disclosed means constituting, as has just been stated, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings Figure 1 represents the t-ipple of a coal mine shown in dotted outline With the specific form of our improved car handling mechanism here in question installed therein; Fig. 2 represents the car transferring and dumping device forming a part of such ear handling- 1nechanism; Figs. 3 and t are detail views of an endless cable that is employed both to move cars to and from the transferring device, and to actuate the latter; and Fig. 5 represents in detail the means provided for connecting the car to such cable.

In said figures, the tipple structure is designated by A and in addition to includingl the ear handlinpv ii'iechanism about to be described provides space for railway cars or else bins into which the coal is to be dischargedJ together with suitable screens and chutes a to separate the coal into its various grades and to properly divert each lgrade into the receptacle set apa-rt for it. Leading' from a feeding station B, Where the cars are received from the mine and to which they arc returned on the way back to the mine, we provide upwardly inclined tracks C C at the upper end of which is the dun'ipinp,` station D. rIhe feedingstation E .includes tivo super-posed, level, track sections Z) and L', the lower of which is desig'i'ied to receive the loaded cars as they come from the mine, the upper of which is designed to return such cars to the mine after they have been emptied. Ordinarily both these tracks will be brought'to the same level before reaching` the entry Way of the mine and there merged int-o one, but illustration and description of such switching connections, forming as they do no part of the present invention, are omitted as immaterial. The lower inclined track C, which We shall term the car delivery track, is continuous With the lower track Z) of the feeding station B, and the upper inclined track C is similarly continuous with the upper track b of suoli feedingI station. rPhe cars are moved upon the level track sec tions of the feeding` stations by any suitable means such as endless cables b2 b3 actuated to move in the proper directions and adapted to periodically engage a car. Movement ofthe cars up car delivery track C and down car discharge track C is in the first case effected and in the last case controlled by means of another endless cable c shown in part in Fig. 2. 'Ihe construction of such cable c may be varied to suit varying conditions, one preferred form being` illustrated in Figs. 3 and ,and as there shown, consisting of tivo parallel chains c made up of solid elongated links and connected at intervals by transversely disposed bars or rods c6. Upon the ends of the latter are mounted flanged Wheels c7 that are adapted to travel on supplementary rails C2 running along,- sidc the rails of each of tracks C and C. Cable c passes around suitably disposed sheaves or sprocket Wheels c2 c3 at the lower ends of the tracks and around a single large sprocket wheel c4 at the upper ends thereof, the diameter of such large sprocket wheel c* being substantially equal to the distance bctWeen the two tracks at that point. Such cable is designed to be driven in the directions indicated by the arrows by a motor a2 or equivalent means connected with large sprocket wheel c4 as shown.

Cable c is provided at intervals with means adapted to engage the cars K to nieve them up the car delivery track and to hold them in check in going' down the car discharge track. rlhe form taken by these engaging means will depend upon the character and construction oil the cable, such means in the present instance consisting simply ot the bars c6 that connect the two parallel chains composing the cable. Each car is provided with a downwardly projecting lug if: on its under side, so disposed as to be engaged by the bars in question, respectively, as they are carried along by the cable. Such specific cable construction and car engaging means likewise are fully claimed in our copending application above referred to.

Dumping of the loaded car, which is moved up delivery track C by means of cable c in the manner just set forth, is eti'ected at the dumping station D at the upper end or such track; and simultaneously with the dumping operation the car is transferred from the lower car delivery track to the upper car discharge track preparatory to its return to the feeding station B and thence to the mine. The form of mechanism here shown by which suoli dumpingand sin'iultaneous transfer of a car is accomplished is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2, from an inspection of which it will be seen to comprise a frame D pivotally mounted on an aXis transversely disposed relatively to tracks C and C. A counterweight l)2 is provided in connection with such frame but should not be so heavy as toioverbalance it; accordingly it will normally occupy the po sition indicated in full lines in aforesaid tigure, being retained in such position by a stop d. As shown, the frame in such normal position is inclined at an angle of about 60 degrees from the horizontal, the exact degree of inclination, however, being immaterial so long as it is suliicient to cause a car when similarly inclined to readily discharge its contents. lVhen in such normal position, the lower free end of the frame D is designed to register with the upper end of car delivery track C which is curved upwardly to meet it, thus avoiding a sharp turn in the track. The portion cl of frame D that. registers thus with the end of the track C is provided with rails or equivalent means adapted to Jform a continuation of the rails of such a track so that a car may pass readily otf the track and on to the frame. The same endless cable that is utilized to move the cars along the track C is designed to be also employed to urge them oil the track onto frame D. 'llo this end the large sheave c4 around which the cable passes is located substantially as indicated in Fig, 2 with refv erence to the upper curved end ot' the track C and the lo-wer portion of the frame D', whereby the cable is maintained practically parallel with both. Cable c in addition to being adapted to engage, as stated, a car and move the same alongl the track C is adapted to engage the free end of the oscillatory trame D as it is carried transversely across the same in passing around sheave (-4. rlhis in the case in hand is accomplished by simply pro\f'iding the traine with arms d2 disposed as to be engaged by the wheels 0T that normally travel on supplen'i-entary rails c2. The eltectof such engagement it will be seen is to carry the whole frame upwardly, with the ca previously deposited thereon, until it rests in the position indicated in dotted outline in the lligure just referred to. ln this position the free end of the frame registers with the upper end ot1 the car discliarge track C and as the cable passes across the upper side of the sheave and thence along the track it disengages the oscillatory track section of frame D leaving the same :tree to swing back again to its normal position. Means are provided, however, whereby -the frame is retained in register with the track C long enough to allo. f' the car borne by the frame to pass off on the latter. Such means comprise a latch Z3 positioned by means oi' a weighted arm CZ to automatically engage the end of the frame as it swings upwardly. As the car after leaving the frame passes alo-ng track C it engages a trip arm d* properly connected with latch Z3 by a bar (Z5 to thereupon swing the latter out of engagement with the frame. The return of the frame to the lower normal position in which it rests against stop CZ is, of course, controlled by the counterweight previously described.

The dumping of the car is effected incidentally to its transfer from track C to track C by simply opening the end gate 7o thereof. Such opening of the end gate and con-k sequent dumping of the car may be eliected lll manually or automatically by mechanicalt, means which do not appear in this specification or form a part of our present. invention. It should occur, however, a little before the car reaches the oscillatory frame D and before such frame has been engaged by the cable c in order that the car may be entirely emptied before being raised to the upper track. rJhe interval between successive cars on the lower track of the car haul should be gaged so as to permit such cars to arrive one after the other at the upper end of the car delivery track C just a little after the frame D resumes its normal position.

Other modes of applying the principle 13@ of om' invention may bc employed instead of tbe one explained, change being made as regards tbe mechanism bercin disclosed, provided tbe means stated by any of the following claims or tbe eqnivalcnt; of sncli stated meansI be employed.

te 'therefore particularly point ont. and distinctly claim as o1|r invention l. ln mechanism of tbe class described, the combination of an endless cable, a. can rior member adapted to be conveyed there.- by, and an oscillatory transfer device adapted to receive said carrier member from one portion of said cabbA and place the. same on another portion thereof, said cable being comncted to operate said transfer device.

L). ln mechanism of the class described, tbe combination of an endless cable, a can rier member adapted to be co1'1veyed thereby, and an oscillatory transfer deviceI adapted to receive said carrier member from one portion of said c1 ble and place the same on anotbrr portion thereof, said :able being connected to periodically operate said transt'er device.

il. ln mechanism of the. class described, the combination of a slieave, a ci ble passing around the. same, a carrier member adapted t'o be conveyed by said cable, and an oseillatory transfer device adapted to receive said carrier member from the portion of said cable on one side of said shea've and to place the same on the portion of said cable on the other side thereof.

4. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a vertically disposed sheave, a cable passing` aronnd the same., a carrier member adapted to be conveyed by said cable` and an oscillatory transfer device adapted to receive wild carrier member from the portion of said cable on one side of said slieavc and place the same, same side 11p, on tlie portion of said cable on the other side of said sheave.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a vertically disposed slieave, a cable passing around the same, a carrier member adapted to be conveyed by said cable, and an oscillatory transfer device adapted in its lower position to receive said carrier member from the portion of said cable on the lower side of said slieave, and in its upper position to place said member, same side np, on the portion of said cable onthe upper side of said sheavc, said cable being adapted to periodically actnate said transfer' device.

G. The combination with a car-haul including an endless cable and cars movable thereby; of'an oscillatory transferl device, apart from said car-haul, adapted to rceive a car from one portion of said cable and to place the same on another portion thereof, said cable being connected to operate said transfer device.

7. rllic c 1o111l1ination with a car-baul incliidingg,` an endless cable and cars movable thereby; oll an oscillatory transfer device, apart from said car-baul, adapted to receive a car from one portion of Isaid cable and to place the same on anotlicr portion thereof, said cable. being connected lo periodically operate said transfer device.

H. 'l`l1e combination with a car-haul inclndingsnnerposed tracks, an tndlcss cable passing' alongl tbe same, and cars movable on .said tracksI by said cable; of an oscillatory device., apart from said car-haul, adapted to receive a car `fr11n1 one o't" Isaid tracks and to place tbe same on the other, said cable beingl adapted to actnate said transfer 1l1-1vice.

t). '.l`l1c combination of. two tracks, oscillatory car-tra|1sferring means adapta-dito register with each ot said tracks, and means adapted to periodically actnatc said trans'H i'erring means to register n'ib .said tracks alternately.

lt). The. combination of tivo tracks` cartransferring means normally registering with one oi .-;aid tracks, and means lldapted to periodically actnate said transterring means to register with the other of said tracks.

1l. ibc conibination of two tracks, cartrans't'crring means normally registering with one of said tracks, and a cable adapted to periodically engage and actnate said transferring means to register with the other of said tracks.

l2. The coii'ibination of two snperposed trac is, car-tiai'isferring means normally registerino with one of said tracks, and a cable adapted to move a car npon said tracks and to period 'ally engage and actnate said transferring means to register with the other of said tracks.

El. The combination of tivo snperposed tracks, car-transferring means normally registering with the loiver of said tracks, and a cable adapted to periodically engage and actnate said transferring means to Aregistei.' with the upper or" said tracks.

ll. In car-handling mechanisn'i, the combination of tivo tracks; a movable car-transferring member adaptedin its normal position to register with one of said tracks and in another position to register with the other thereof; and an endless cable passing along said tracks and adjacent to said member, such cable being adapted to move a car ott said tirst track onto said member when in its normal position and to thereupon engage said member and move the same into its other position.

15. In car-handling mechanism, the combination of two tracks; an oscillatory cartransferring member adapted to register with each of said tracks; and a cable passing along said tracks and adapted to eriodically engage and actuate said mem er.

16. In car-handlingl mechanism, the combination of two tracks; an oscillatory cartransferring member adapted to register with each of said tracks; and an endless cable passing along such tracks and adjacent to said member, such cable being adapted to move cars upon said tracks and to periodically engage and actuate said member.

17. In car-handling mechanism, the combination of two superposed tracks; an oscillatory car-transferring member adapted to register with each of said tracks; and an endless cable passing along such tracks and adjacent to said member, such cable bein adapted to move cars upon said tracks an to periodically engage and actuate said member.

18. The combination of two superposed tracks; an oscillatory car-transferring member normally registering with one of said tracks and adapted to register with the other thereof; and an endless cable passing along said tracks and transversely of the free end of said member, said cable being adapted to move a car on said tracks and to periodically engage said member and move the same into register with such second track.

19. In carhandling mechanism, the combination of two tracks; an oscillatory cartransferring member adapted in its normal position to register with one of Asaid tracks and in another position to register with the other thereof; and an endless cable passing along said tracks and transversely of the free end of said member, said cable being adapted to move a car off said first track onto said member when in its normal position and to thereupon engage said member and move the same into its other position.

20. The combination of a car-delivery track; a car-discharge track above said delivery track; a car-transferring member oscillatory about a transversely disposed axis and normally registering with respect to said tracks, said member normally registering wit-h said delivery track and inclining upwardly therefrom, said member also being adapted to register with said discharge track; and an endless cable adapted to move a car off said delivery track onto said member and thereupon to engage said member and raise the same into register with said discharge track.

21. In car-handling mechanism, the combination of two similarly inclined superposed tracks, of a track-section oscillatory about an axis located above the level of the upper of said tracks, said track-section normally registering with the lower of said tracks but being adapted to register with the upper thereof also.

22. In car-handling mechanism, the combination of two similarly inclined superposed tracks, of a track-section oscillatory about an axis located above the level of the upper of said tracks, said track-section normally registering with the lower of said tracks, and a cable adapted to periodically engage said track-section and raise the same into register with the upper of said tracks.

23. In car-handling mechanism, the combination with two similarly inclined superposed tracks, of a track-section oscillatory about an axis located above the level of the upper of said tracks, said track-section normally registering with the lower of said tracks, and an endless cable passing along said tracks and transversely of the free end of said track-section, said cable being adapted to move a car on said tracks and to periodically engage said track-section and raise the same from its normal position into register with the upper of said tracks.

24. In car-handling mechanism, the combination with two similarly inclined superposed tracks, of a track-section oscillatory about an axis located above the level of the upper of said tracks, said track-section normally registering with the lower of said tracks, and anendless cable passing along said tracks and transversely of the free end of said track-section, said cable being adapted to move a car off said lower track onto said track-section when in its normal position and thereupon to engage the latter and raise the same into register with the upper of said tracks,

25. In car-handling mechanism, the combination with two similarly inclined supei posed tracks, of a track-section oscillatory about an axis located above the level of the upper of said tracks, said track-section normally registering with the lower of said tracks, and a continuously moving endless cable passing upwardly along the lower of said tracks, transversely of the free end of said track-section, and downwardly along the upper of said tracks, said cable being adapted to move a car off said lower track ont-o said tracksection when in its normal position and thereupon to engage the latter and raise the same into register with the upper of said tracks.

Signed by FRANK C. GREENE, this 19th day of July 1907.

FRANK C. GREENE. Attested by O. V. GREENE,

JNO. F. OBER'LIN.

Signed by CHARLES G. PALMER, this 16th day of August', 1907.

CHARLES G. PALMER. n Attested by HENRY DIAL, JNO. F. OBERLIN. 

